


Maybe

by aspiringenjolras



Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: (sort of), (there's Annie references here???), Dad!Rester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4318443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspiringenjolras/pseuds/aspiringenjolras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On January 27th, Rester makes a promise to Near. On January 28th, he finds that he can't keep that promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Picture Frame

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in a production of Annie right now, and the inspiration (as well as title) for this fic came from the song "Maybe" that Annie sings about finding her parents.

**January 27, 2010**

Just before midnight, Rester did his final sweep of the SPK building, and stopped by Near’s office. He knew the boy was still in there working. It was a big day tomorrow, after all.

He opened the door slowly and peered inside. Near was slumped over his desk, eyes drooping shut. In his hand was a picture frame. “Near?” Rester asked, concerned. It was unlike Near to fall asleep while working, even more so before a big day. Normally he was up all night. “Near?” he said again, walking over and placing a hand on the young detective’s shoulder. Near’s head jerked up and the frame fell from his hand, clattering to the floor. 

“—!” Near’s eyes widened in recognition and he sighed, leaning back in the chair and sighing. “Rester. You startled me.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you, Near. But you’re not usually asleep this early so I thought…” Another glance at Near’s face triggered a realization. The bloodshot eyes weren’t red from lack of sleep, but from tears. Had Near really been crying? What did he have to cry about? “There’s no need to worry… You said yourself that everything is in place. There’s no way we’re going to lose tomorrow.”

Near bent down to pick up the fallen picture frame, but Rester beat him to it. Taking it from the larger hand, Near turned it over thoughtfully, and Rester noticed with a start that it was empty. _Who keeps an empty picture frame on their desk…?_

“I’m not worried, Commander,” Near assured him. “When I said we were going to win, I meant it, and I still believe it. We have the real notebook. Everything Mikami has is fake, so there’s no way we’ll be killed. All that’s going to happen will be the reveal of who Kira is. Of course, we know that already, but the proof is necessary…” His eyes flickered back to the picture frame. “I was just thinking.” 

“About what?” Rester sat in the chair across from him, propping his chin up on his hand. “If you want to tell me, that is. You don’t have to.” And he didn’t really expect Near to say, either. The boy had always been very private, from the moment Rester met him. Which was why—

“You know I lived in an orphanage before this?” 

That caught Rester’s attention. He _had_ known that, but only because it was in the very small file on Near the United States president had shared with him upon joining the SPK. Most likely, Near had picked out exact information he wanted included in that file. His background, his age, and his date of birth were all there, but not his true name. Rester was fairly certain that no one knew that. Perhaps even Near himself didn’t know. But the orphanage… It was called Wammy’s House, if he remembered correctly. A place for gifted children. The place where successors to **L** were trained. 

“Yes… I know.” _Where is Near going with this?_

“Most of the other children remember their parents. Many of them, even the ones whose parents died when they were very young, had a photo of them that they kept. These photos were very comforting, especially to the younger children.” Near twirled his hair and glanced back at the empty frame.

“How old were you when they died?” Rester asked quietly. Near jerked back as if he had been burned.

Stiffly, he said, “I was eight.” He looked down. "I was eight,” he repeated, voice softening a bit, “and I don’t remember them at all. I don’t know what happened, either, so don’t bother asking. Whatever it was, it was so traumatic that I managed to repress all memories of it, and them. There were no photos that could be found, and I was brought to Wammy’s House by a police officer who found me walking down the road.”

“Where were you trying to go?” Rester asked. 

“Nowhere. I was just… walking.” Near clutched the frame tighter, and ran his fingers over the edge, tracing the familiar lines. “Another boy at the orphanage, Matt… he gave me this frame because he didn’t want me to be the only one without one. He said that when I found who my parents were one day, I could put a picture of them in there. It seemed pointless, but I appreciated the gesture. I kept the frame under my mattress, and it was one of the few possessions I took with me upon leaving the orphanage. I’m not entirely sure why I still have it, but I do. I suppose— I suppose I thought I might be able to put something in there one day. Even if it’s not a picture of my real parents. But… I’m eighteen now. It’s been ten years since I came to Wammy’s House, and I’m **L** now. No matter what I might hope for, the idea of having parents is ridiculous.” 

In that moment, Rester made what he would later refer to as the most rash but brilliant decision ever. 

“Near…” he said slowly, dragging out the words as long as he could. “When this is over, when Kira is caught and the case is closed for good… When we can go back to our normal lives… _Iwanttoadoptyou_.” The last five words came out all in one breath, in a rush as if that would make it easier to say. Immediately, Rester clenched his hands into fists so tight his knuckles were white, and he stared intensely at Near, who was sitting there, frozen in place. 

“Adopt me?” Near finally echoed, speaking quietly as if the words were foreign to him. 

There was no going back now. “Yes or no?” 

Near carefully placed the picture frame down on the desk again, watching Rester carefully. He seemed worried that any moment he was going to take back the words and laugh as if it was all one big joke. When that didn’t happened, he spoke cautiously. “I am a legal adult in both the United States and England, in which I have dual citizenship. There is no need for me to have parents now.” 

“But…"

“I didn’t say no yet, did I commander?” Near was using his business voice. It was times like these that Rester questioned whether or not the boy needed an adult guardian after all. He already treated the SPK members like younger colleagues. He clearly was not lacking in intelligence. Social and life skills were another matter altogether, though. 

_ He didn’t say no YET… _

“Is this really something you want to do?” Near asked. “Being a parent is a much bigger responsibility than acting as a kind of guardian while we work on a case together.” 

“I’m sure,” Rester replied, sounding much more certain than he had before. “If it would make you happy.”

“I think…” Near was interrupted by a yawn and he squeezed his eyes shut, raising a hand to rub them. “I think it would.” He gave Rester an rare tired smile, one that only he had ever had the privilege of seeing. Rester smiled back, blinking, unable to completely process what had just happened. Near had agreed. _Near_ had agreed to be adopted, by _him_. It was surreal. 

“Near…” 

“I really am tired, Commander,” Near mumbled, blinking. “I should… sleep.” Rester nodded and stood up, walking over behind Near’s chair. Carefully, he bent down and lifted the boy up, marveling at how light he was. He was half expecting Near to complain, or even hit him, but he stayed curled in Rester’s arms, his tiny body contrasting almost comically with Rester’s large figure. 

He carried Near to his room, and by the time he set him down on the crisp white sheets, the boy was already asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This song](http://cantsolvethepuzzle.tumblr.com/post/123820386061/the-probably-last-song-ill-record-for-my) fits at the end of this chapter  
>  Come check out my [Near RP blog](http://cantsolvethepuzzle.tumblr.com) on tumblr!


	2. You Won't Be an Orphan for Long

**January 28, 2010**

****"Yes, thank you very much. Good. Good. Okay, yes."

Near put his phone down slowly and looked around at the three SPK members. "That was Mr. Aizawa, calling from the hospital. Light Yagami  _is_  dead." There was silence as the four exchanged glances.

"You mean  _Kira_  is dead," Halle said. 

"We need to go back to HQ," Rester replied. "We have to close the case."

"No," Near interrupted, holding up his hand. "We can't close it. No one can know that Kira is dead." 

"Why on earth not?" Gevanni exclaimed. 

"If his capture is made public, the media and the rest of the world is going to demand names and an explanation. We cannot give them that. Kira is dead and he will never kill again. That's all that matters. We'l destroy the notebooks, so there will be no more evidence. As for releasing the name, it will cause Yagami's family more trouble than they need. They have suffered enough, and they've almost been torn apart. Let their son die a hero, and Kira die a murderer. There is nothing more terrible than destroying a family." On that, Near glanced at Rester, who smiled back at him. 

"Are we going to tell  _anyone_?" Halle asked urgently. 

"What we need to do is inform the president read Kira no longer had the power to kill, and that there is no need to pursue him any longer. If he presses, then I suppose we can tell him that he's dead. I'd prefer not to,  but be will keep it a secret if I ask. Either way, we will not tell them about Yagami. Worst case, we will give them Mikami's name. We arrested him in secret, so he can be used as a cover."

"Why are you so determined to protect Yagami?" Halle asked. 

"I already told you, it's for the sake of his family," Near replied. 

"But why do you care so much? It's not like you."

"A lot of things are different now," Near said with another glance at Rester. "Come on, we still have a lot of work to do. Let's go back."

* * *

"Alright, everyone, let's get to work!"

There was a collective groan from the others, and Near shook his head. "Better to just get this done."

"But we just got back," Halle complained. 

"No time like the present, they say," Near replied. "Halle, please go to the operations room and be available to take any incoming calls from the taskforce. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear from them."

"Yes, sir," she said, and headed off down the hall with a sigh. 

"Gevanni, please start gathering all evidence and transcripts, and begin drafting a case report." Near pulled the still-hidden Death Note from his shirt. "Take this too." Gevanni looked almost afraid to touch the murder notebook, but he took it reluctantly and walked toward his office. 

"And what would you like me to do?" Rester asked, turning to Near when they were alone. 

"Please call the President and tell him what we discussed before." Rester looked a bit surprised, but nodded. 

"Of course, Near."

Rester reached for the phone, but Near stopped him. "I'm really proud of all the work you did, and I'm very thankful. For everything."

Rester laughed in surprise. " _You're_  proud of  _me_? That doesn't seem like the sort of thing someone says to their  _father_..." Near looked up at him, eyes bright. 

"That's what I was thanking you for," Near said. "For sticking with me. And for being a father even before you asked asked."

Rester smiled at him. "Of course. Now. You should go get some rest. It's been a long day." Near started to protest, but Rester interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can handle things there. I promise if we need something, I'll come get you." Near nodded, giving in. 

"Goodnight, Commander," he said. 

"Goodnight, Near." He watched as Near walked off down the hall, and disappeared around the corner. Once he was alone, he put through a call to to the White House.

"Mr. President, this is Commander Anthony  _Carter_  of the SPK. We have news..."

Rester explained everything, and the president took it all extremely well. Although initially wary of not having a name or solid proof, Rester convinced him. 

"Well, thank you Mr. President, very much. Just one more thing... Now that both the original L and the one created by the Japanese Police are dead, Near is truly next in line. He will be officially assuming the title and job. Yes, I believe there are arrangements already being made, but he was planning on keeping his HQ in the current SPK building in Japan. I would like to ask your permission for myself, and agents Halle Bullock and Stephen Loud to remain here and work as part of Near's personal investigation team. We're the only three survive members, excluding Near. He's requested that- what? No, of course I under- Cut ties! Mr. President, I told you that Kira is no longer a danger so why... You can't expect us to not have any contact... I... Yes... Alright... How soon do you expect us to be out? 24 hours? Yes... That's doable. I understand. Yes, alright... Goodbye, Mr. President."

Hanging up, Rester slowly sunk into his chair, and held is head in his hands. _Is this the price we pay for catching Kira?_   _I've lost him._  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](http://cantsolvethepuzzle.tumblr.com/post/123762989541/another-hint-for-part-of-my-dad-rester-fic) song fits at the end of this chapter!


	3. Forgetting

**January 29, 2010**

Near slept better that night than he had in a very long time. The excitement of the day had completely worn him out, but the anticipation of what was to come woke him up with the dawn.

He headed downstairs to the kitchen and slipped some waffles from the freezer into the toaster. He was perched upon the edge of the table waiting when Rester walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Good morning, Near,” he said quietly. “You’re up early.” Near turned to smile at him.

“I slept well last night, but now I’m wide awake!” His eyes were shining with excitement. Rester looked down and didn’t respond. Unfazed by the silence, Near glanced back up at him. “You’re up early too!”

“I’ve been up all night,” Rester said softly. 

“Why?” Near asked. Then, instead of waiting for an answer, he pressed on. “When will you be able to officially adopt me? I suppose we’ll have to deal with some legal papers… And that will involve my real name.” He frowned. “It doesn’t really matter now that Kira’s gone, though.”

Rester turned to the toaster and put the waffles on a plate for Near, handing it to him. “Near… I have something very difficult to tell you.”

Near looked up in alarm. “There weren’t any difficulties in explaining what happened to Kira were there? The President didn’t have any issues?”

Rester bit his lip. “Well, not exactly. Near, afterwards I told the President about your wish to keep the three of us as your personal team and how we wanted to remain here at this house—“

“Oh!” Near looked surprised. “Thank you! I could’ve done that myself, but I appreciate it. I take it everything is fine?”

“Well… that’s what I wanted to talk about. The President disagrees. He says that for the security of myself, Halle, and Gevanni, as well as the protection of the L title, not only must our already informal organization be disbanded again… But we must leave this house and not have any contact with each other.”

It took a moment for Near to assimilate, but when he did, he put his fork down and turned around to look up at Rester, “So that means you can’t adopt me,” he said plainly.

Rester sighed. "We could probably get away with seeing each other. Possibly even working together at times. But adoption, with all the legal ties… I don’t see how it’s possible. I’m sorry.”

Near shrugged. “I guess I always knew that it wouldn’t work. That we would be going our separate ways when this was all over.” He was somewhat struggling to keep his composure. “When do they want us out of here?” he asked.

“This afternoon,” Rester shook his head. “Better start packing. That’s why the three of us were up all night.”

Near pushed his plate away. “Right. Packing.”

Gevanni, entering from the hall at that moment gave him a concerned look. “Aren’t you going to finish your waffles, Near?” The boy shook his head.

“I’m not very hungry anymore.” He stood and after giving a glance first to Gevanni and then Rester, he darted out of the room.

A few seconds later, Halle stepped inside with a flushed look. “You told him, I take it?” No one answered. The silence spoke for itself. Rester absentmindedly cleared the deserted plate from the table and held onto the back of a chair for support.

“I’ve lost him,” he said dejectedly. “I’ve lost Near. I was going to be the happiest man in the world.” 

“We were going to be the happiest family,” Halle replied, eyes downcast. Gevanni walked over and put his hands on both Halle and Rester’s shoulders.

“Well… Perhaps we ought to get going. Our flight back to the U.S. leaves in an hour.”

“Right.” Rester quickly wiped at his eye and nodded. “I’ll call for a car.”

The next few minutes were tense, and silent. Whenever Near’s three subordinates passed each other, they looked away before making eye contact. Near himself stayed locked up into his room until he heard them going out the door to meet their taxi.

* * *

 

Near had never liked goodbyes.

He slowly made his way down the large staircase, and placed his suitcase down at the bottom, sitting on it. He would just wait here until Roger came to get him. 

It was to his dismay that the door opened again, and Rester stepped inside. “Listen Near,” he said before Near could get a word in edgewise. “I know you didn’t want to do this, so I asked Gevanni and Halle to wait outside. But I was not going to leave without saying a proper goodbye.” 

Near stared at him, his hands shaking. “Rester—“ The older man stood in front of him with his arms open and slowly Near got up and walked over to him. Rester grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Near sagged against him, finding himself unable to support his own weight. 

“I’m going to miss you, Near.” Rester ruffled his hair then stepped back, though he only released Near fully once he was certain the boy could stand. “No doubt our paths will cross again.” He walked to the door and turned back just to nod his head slightly. “Sir.”

Sir. Just a formality. In an instant all sense of familiarity was gone. As was Rester. When Near looked back up, the commander had left and the door was shut, leaving him alone. 

Very slowly, he sat back down on his suitcase and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... A few things. One, I know that the manga one-shot contradicts this ending, but I really wanted to write this, so whatever. Thanks for following this story! It's been fun writing it!
> 
> And, of course... [the song that goes with this chapter](http://cantsolvethepuzzle.tumblr.com/post/123691602361/silly-to-cry-nothing-to-fear-betcha-my-new-homes).

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [Near RP blog](http://cantsolvethepuzzle.tumblr.com) on tumblr!


End file.
